Shears that are used for grooming hair have blades that are used to clip or cut the hair. Cutting is effected by movement or oscillation of the blades relative to one another. Through use, the blades of the shears become fouled by hair particles, dirt, body oils, hair grooming preparations and other miscellaneous, undesirable particles that may become lodged in the hair.
Fouling of the blades hinders the efficient operation and use of the shears. Material which fouls blades can be abrasive enough to dull the blades as they move or oscillate. Dull blades do not cut hair efficiently. They tend to pull hair rather than cut, causing pain and discomfort to the person whose hair is being cut. The pulling action can then cause the shears' blades to pinch or abrade the scalp. This causes additional pain and discomfort and also creates the possibility for germs to infect the scalp through the pinched or abraded area. As can be seen, fouling requires that blades be sharpened more frequently.
The operation of shears is further hindered by fouling in that there is greater friction between fouled blades than clean blades. There is a certain amount of friction and temperature increase which is caused by general movement of the blades relative to one another; however, the greater friction causes the temperature of blades to increase even more, possibly beyond design parameters. The hotter blades are more easily dulled by abrasive foreign particles. In addition, if there is sufficient friction caused, the blades can become so warm as to create discomfort for the person whose hair is being cut.
When there is an increase in the amount of friction that takes place between blades of electric shears, the amount of work which must be done by the motor which drives the shears also increases. The increased load places an extra burden upon the motor that reduces its efficiency and decreases its life.
Fouling of blades of hair shears causes another problem in that the fouling material, namely, oils, dirt, hair particles and the like, inhibit the free flow or air through the blades. The free flow of air is important because that is the primary manner in which heat is dissipated from moving blades. Thus, inhibited air flow increases the problems arising from an excessive increase in operating temperature.
It can be seen that it is important to keep the blades of shears clean. It can also be seen that it would be advantageous to lubricate the blades to decrease friction. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to have a cleaning composition and method for cleaning and lubricating the blades of shears.
There are problems involved in cleaning shears. One problem is that body oils and oils from hair grooming aids are difficult to remove from the blades. In addition, these oils mix with dirt and other undesirable particles and make the mixture extremely difficult to remove from the blades. In general, oily substances cling to the blades and are not easily removed by wiping or agitation.
Another problem in cleaning shears is that the cutting blades are very closely positioned with respect to one another. The close alignment of blades is essential for optimal cutting but hinders effective wiping or brushing of the spaces between the blades.
The two problems discussed immediately above may be solved by using a liquid to penetrate the hard-to-reach areas between the blades and dissolve and remove the oily fouling material. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to have a cleaning composition and method that effectively removes oily substances from hard-to-reach areas of shears.
Water and aqueous solutions unsuitable for cleaning the blades of shears for several reasons. Water alone will have virtually no effect on oils or oily substances. The water in aqueous solutions causes oxidation or corrosion of metal blades. Oxidized or corroded blades will not perform desirably. Water or water-based solutions are particularly unsuitable for cleaning electric shears because the electricity-conductive properties of water may cause electrical shock or short circuiting of clipper components.
A solvent which is capable of dissolving oily substances and dirt which does not exhibit the harmful characteristics or water described above would be most appropriate for a cleaning solution. A petroleum based solvent would meet these requirements. Kerosene, in particular, has been used to clean shears. However, kerosene has a strong, unpleasant odor which makes it an undesirable cleaning product. Also, kerosene alone is ineffective as a lubricant. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to have a cleaning composition that both cleans and lubricates and also has a pleasing aroma.
Human hair normally contains germs. It is undesirable to transmit these germs from one person to another. Thus, it is prudent to both clean hair shears and apply an antiseptic to the shears after each use to prevent the spread of germs. The use of an antiseptic also helps prevent the infection of any cut or abrasion that comes about when a person is having his or her hair groomed. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to have an antiseptic cleaning composition that not only cleans and lubricates but also inhibits the spread of germs and infections caused by germs.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,759,867; 4,654,374; 4,632,72 and 3,882,038; and U.K. Patent Application GB 2 173 508A, disclose hard surface cleaners. While the metal surfaces of the blades of hair shears are hard surfaces, these hard surface cleaners are unsuitable for cleaning hair shears because these cleaners contain acid or water. The reasons why an aqueous solution is unsuitable as a cleaner have been enumerated above. An acid cleaner is unsuitable in and of itself because it would corrode the metal blades. Acid may also be harmful to the plastic casing which houses most shears' motors and mechanisms.